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North Korea has sent more troops to Russia, South Korean media report

The additional troops have been sent to combat a Ukrainian incursion in Russia’s Kursk region, the reports said, though the scale of the new contingent wasn't immediately known.
North Korean Soldiers in Pyongyang
North Korean soldiers during a military parade in Pyongyang in 2012.Ng Han Guan / AP file
/ Source: Reuters

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has deployed additional troops to Russia, but the scale of the contingent was not immediately known, South Korean media reported Thursday, citing the country’s intelligence agency.

The additional troops have been sent to the battlegrounds in Russia’s Kursk region, the reports said. Russian forces are fighting Ukrainian troops who thrust across the border into the western Russia region.

The spokesperson’s office at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) did not answer telephone calls seeking comment.

North Korea has deployed more than 11,000 troops to Russia to fight in the Ukraine war, the NIS has previously said. Ukraine and Western experts say Russian forces have also used North Korean weapons.

North Korea has not formally acknowledged its military support for Russia in the Ukraine war.